< Back Torch Announces the 2024 Retreat Fellows Brittany Heckard Apr 12, 2024 Eight fellows were selected to attend the second annual retreat for Black women writers at the Colton House in Austin, Texas from July 21-28, 2024. AUSTIN, Tex., April 12, 2024 – Torch Literary Arts is proud to announce the 2024 Torch Retreat Fellows! The eight fellows were selected by a committee from 216 applicants with works-in-progress across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script (plays, screenplays). Torch is honored to support these writers with a week-long stay at the Colton House Hotel from July 21-28, where they will work on their unfinished projects with check-ins and options to share their work in a nurturing environment. Every retreat fellow receives a $1,000 stipend to help with costs associated with travel, supplies, or other financial needs to support their attendance at the retreat. Introducing the 2024 Torch Retreat Fellows Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of an award-winning novel, The River Where Blood is Born and Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him, an Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction. Her fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and dramatic works are widely published and produced. They appear in Both Sides: Stories from the Border, story South, Another Chicago Magazine, New Daughters of Africa, Novus Literary Journal, Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction , the Chicago Humanities Festival, Lifeline Theatre, and other outlets. She also coedited the multi-arts anthology, Revise the Psalm: Work Celebrating the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks . Professional recognition includes a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the American Library Association Black Caucus Award, the Chicago Esteemed Artist Award, a Lifeline Theatre BIPOC Adaptation Showcase, the Globe Soup Story Award, the Plentitudes Journal Prize for Fiction, an Institute for Writers First Pages Award, the Circle of Confusion Writers Discovery Fellowship, the Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award, a Pushcart Prize nomination, and other awards and honors. Sandra Jackson-Opoku has taught literature and writing at the University of Miami, Columbia College Chicago, the University of Chicago Writers Studio, and Chicago State University. She presents workshops, readings, and literary events in arts organizations worldwide. m. mick powell is a queer Black Cape Verdean femme, an artist, an Aries, and the author of the chapbook threesome in the last Toyota Celica (Host Publications, 2023). Their debut full-length collection, DEAD GIRL CAMEO , is forthcoming from One World Books/Random House in Summer 2025. An assistant professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut and a 2023 Tin House Resident, mick enjoys chasing waterfalls and being in love. Keep up with them at www.mickpowellpoet.com or @ mickmakesmagic.art on IG. ESTHER IFESINACHI OKONKWO is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and a third-year PhD candidate in Creative Writing at Florida State University. Her fiction has appeared in Isele Magazine , Guernica , and Catapult . She’s a recipient of the 2021 Elizabeth George Foundation Grant. Her debut novel, THE TINY THINGS ARE HEAVIER , is forthcoming with Bloomsbury in the Spring of 2025. Home for her is Lagos, Nigeria. Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton is an award-winning literary artist, director, performer, and the first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, TX. She authored Newsworthy ( Bloomsday Literary, 2019) and Black Chameleon (Henry Holt & Co., 2023), which won the Carr P. Collins Award for Best Nonfiction Book through the Texas Institute of Letters (2024). This recent memoir examines Black womanhood through afrofuturistic mythology. Stories that Mouton later adapted into a storybook opera (Lula, the Mighty Griot, HGO) and an independent short film (Headache & Heartthrob). She’s penned stage works including Marian's Song (Houston Grand Opera), Atlanta: 1906 (Atlanta Opera) & On My Mind (Opera Theater St. Louis). Serving as Playwright/Director, she produced The World's Intermission , commissioned by Performing Arts Houston (Jones Hall), and Plumshuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson , a choreopoem (Stages Theater) which made the cover of the NYT Culture section. Mouton has contributed writings for Glamour , Texas Monthly, and ESPN's Andscape . A former Resident Artist with the American Lyric Theater, Rice University, and the Houston Museum of African American Culture, her upcoming projects will debut at The Kennedy Center and American Lyric Theater. She resides in Houston, TX. DW McKinney is a writer and editor based in Las Vegas, Nevada. A 2024 Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellow, she is the recipient of fellowships from the PERIPLUS Collective, Writing By Writers, and The Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow. Her work appears in Los Angeles Review of Books , Oxford American , Ecotone , TriQuarterly , and Narratively , among others. The founder and instructor for We Are The House: A Virtual Residency for Early-Career Writers at Raising Mothers , she also serves as the nonfiction editor at Shenandoah . Learn more at www.dwmckinney.com Elizabeth Brown is a screenwriter living in Richmond, Virginia. Her upcoming feature screenplay is, in some ways, a departure from her earlier unreleased work, which was heavily influenced by science fiction and steeped in humor. For her current feature, she instead uses realism to ground her characters and send them on dramatic yet tangible journeys. Meredith L. King (she/her) is a creative nonfiction writer, playwright, sound-smith, and poet. Her work engages Black kinship, uncomfortable truths, and the collision of place with identity. Meredith holds a B.A. from Stanford University with honors, and an M.B.A. from Yale University. She is a 2024 Anaphora Arts Fellow, a 2024 Tin House Scholar, received a 2022 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for Playwriting, and was named Best Local Playwright of 2020 by Cleveland Scene Magazine. Additionally, her creative work has been supported by the Midwives Artist Collective, at Louis Place, Dobama Theatre Playwrights Gym, Cleveland Public Theatre, Nolose, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, HBMG Foundation, and featured on NPR’s Here and Now. Meredith is based in Cleveland, OH, where she is a loving dog-mom to a sassy Bichon Frise. Find Meredith at www.meredithlking.com Destiny Hemphill is a chronically ill ritual worker and poet, living on the unceded territory of the Eno-Occaneechi band of the Saponi Nation (Durham, NC). A recipient of fellowships from Naropa University’s Summer Writing Program, Callaloo, Tin House, and Kenyon Review's Writers Workshop, she is the author of the poetry collection motherworld: a devotional for the alter-life (Action Books, 2023), which was a two-time finalist for the National Poetry Series. Her work has also been featured in Poetry Magazine , Southern Cultures , and the Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day series. She served as the 2022-2023 Kenan Visiting Writer in Poetry at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and currently holds a Reading Fellowship at Tin House. The inaugural Torch Retreat convened in 2023 with six fellows writing across poetry, fiction, and script. Our 2023 retreat fellows included Ashley M. Coleman, Ajanaė Dawkins, Victoria Newton Ford, Ashunda Norris, Obinwanne Nwizu, and Keya Vance. You can watch a video of the 2023 Torch Retreat readings here . ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Celebrating the Second Annual Donor-Advised Funds Day Oct 9, 2025 Torch Literary Arts encourages families and individuals with donor-advised funds to consider supporting Black women writers and the programs we offer. Today marks the second annual Donor-Advised Funds (DAF) Day! Aside from Giving Tuesday, this day is a new national giving day celebrating the contributions of DAFs to nonprofits across the nation. Torch is celebrating by encouraging our community to consider using their DAF to support Black women writers or to create a DAF with like-minded individuals for causes near and dear to you. DAFs are the fastest growing form of philanthropy and now have their very own day of giving! Started in 2024, DAF Day arose to address the growth of DAFs in the U.S. DAFs can donate to nonprofits, no matter the size! In fact, 69% of DAFs were under $1,000 . With nearly 2 million DAF accounts in the U.S. , these funds allow simple ways to donate to charities and nonprofit organizations they favor while also receiving immediate tax benefits. Donor-advised funds can recommend grants to mission-aligned organizations. You can also remain 100% anonymous and allow for successors, a great benefit for families, friends, or groups with aligned values and interests. Have you heard of DAFs, or are you considering starting one? Don’t forget to support Torch and our impact and efforts to support Black women writers when considering your DAF giving! ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Ending the Year Strong with Community Impact and Growth Brittany Heckard Dec 29, 2025 Taking time to thank you all for your support in 2025 and share plans to end the year strong. We made it to the end of another year of celebrating Black women writers. Thanks to Torch community members like you, we’re almost to our 2025 individual giving goal of $40,000. We need $9,089 by the end of the year to reach our goal ! These unrestricted contributions help us with programming, sustaining the organization, paying Torch features, and much more. In 2025, we: Hosted over 50 events, including free workshops, our Wildfire Reading Series, virtual writing circles, the Torch Retreat, and more. Paid over $51,000 to Torch Magazine Features, Retreat Fellows, authors, artists, and independent contractors. Continued our Writers Across the Diaspora Program with support from the Consulate General of Ireland - Austin . Started a new program , Welcome Table Talk , in collaboration with the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective . Supported 8 fellows from Iowa, California, Texas, and Michigan during our 3rd Annual Torch Retreat . Received the inaugural AWP Writing Organization Award . Started construction on The Torch Center, set to open in January . Grew our Instagram following to 11k+ followers. With your help, we can reach our individual giving goal to start the year strong! Your donation helps support Black women writers and empowers storytelling from emerging and experienced writers around the world. Interested in learning more about what we have in store for 2026? You can watch our “Fueling Torch’s Flame” webinar online now! You’ll hear board members, staff, and community members talk about the importance of supporting Black women writers and the impact Torch Literary Arts has made on their lives. You can watch the live webinar here using this passcode: We!rL4%Y We can’t wait to see what we accomplish next year with you! ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by notable authors such as Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, and Sapphire, among others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Celebrating a New Year with a Growing Community Jan 2, 2026 Taking the time to thank you all for your support in 2025 and share exciting news for 2026. Happy New Year! We made it to another year of celebrating Black women writers. Thanks to Torch community members like you, we raised $37,000 in individual giving support in 2025. We’re excited to see how much more we can accomplish in 2026 . These unrestricted contributions help us with programming, sustaining the organization, paying Torch features, and much more. In 2026, we’re excited to: Open the Torch Center: Opening in February 2026, the Torch Center is our first physical location dedicated to Black women writers and doubling as a literary community and creative space for writers, creatives, and other community organizations. Hire a New Torch Team Member: Torch is hiring for an Administrative Associate position to work part-time at the Torch Center! You can find out more about the position here . Celebrate 20 years at A Gathering of Flames: Torch is celebrating 20 years of community with an intentional and transformative weekend full of programming for writers, lovers of the literary arts, and supporters of Torch’s mission from September 25-27. Sign up here for updates. Host our First Writing Circle of the Year: We know that one of your resolutions this year is to finish that project. Come write in community by joining us for the first Writing Circle of the year on January 12. Sign up here . Interested in learning more about what we have in store for 2026? You can watch our “Fueling Torch’s Flame” webinar online now! You’ll hear board members, staff, and community members talk about the importance of supporting Black women writers and the impact Torch Literary Arts has made on their lives. You can watch the webinar here using this passcode: We!rL4%Y. This year, we're celebrating our community, from our first Torch Feature to our newest newsletter subscriber. We're excited to keep growing our community with intention and love. Here's to 2026! ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day Mar 11, 2025 This year’s themes of moving forward together and accelerating change reinforce Torch’s mission to ALWAYS support Black women writers and the stories they share. March is Women’s History Month, and this past Saturday, March 8, was International Women’s Day. Each year, people around the world celebrate the impact that women have in their lives. Whether it's a mother, sister, teacher, aunt, or writer, the impact women have in shaping our world is immeasurable. This year’s theme for Women's History Month is “ Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations,” celebrating the impact and importance of information sharing and inspiring growth. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day was “Accelerate Action,” marking the importance of moving forward boldly and swiftly to address the systemic barriers that women face. Torch’s mission is beautifully represented in both themes this year. As a nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying both emerging and established Black women writers around the world, we work hard to share knowledge, pay and publish Black women, and provide community. In 2025, our work only reaffirms this year’s themes around education, inspiration, and actionable change to impact the lives of Black women writers. As we continue our work, your support for writers is also just as impactful! Below are some ways you can join us in supporting Black women writers internationally and intergenerationally. March Events March 11th - Join the Welcome Table Talk in Collaboration with Wintergreen Women Writers Collective March 15th - Playwriting Workshop: Who all over there? Learning the Character of Your Characters with Florinda Bryant March 15th - Torch Writing Circle Torch Magazine Read our March 2025 Feature: Nijla Mu'min Support Torch Become a monthly donor to help us reach our $40,000 fundraising goal Shop our BookShop page featuring our Torch Features ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Torch Raises over $6,000 during Amplify Austin Campaign Mar 7, 2025 Joining over 700 nonprofits for one of the largest giving days in Central Texas, Torch raised over $6,000 to amplify Black women writers worldwide. Thanks to generous support from the Torch community, Torch raised $6,175 for this Amplify Austin campaign. With support from community organizations, board matches, individual donations, and an open mic celebration, Torch once again proved the power of community and necessary support for Black women storytellers. To help incentivize givers and Instagram followers who shared about our campaign, we garnered support from local small businesses in Austin and around the state. Thanks to their contributions, supporters were eligible for raffle prizes from: ACL Live , Colton House , Jupiter Supper Club , Austin FC , Dallas Wings , Red River Rising / The Moody Center , Austin Symphony Orchestra , Round Rock Express , Kendra Scott , and Soup Peddler . We also want to thank our generous board! Every board member donated to our Amplify Austin campaign, showing true support and belief in our mission to amplify Black women writers, which makes us eligible for more prizes from I Live Here I Give Here’s 100% board support initiative. We also celebrated the end of Amplify Austin’s 24-hour giving period with an open mic celebration, The Turn Up at DAWA HQ . Over 30 people attended to listen to and share original work and communed with each other to celebrate being back together for an unforgettable open mic experience. If you didn’t get a chance to donate, y ou can still support our Amplify Austin campaign! While you won't be entered for any prizes, you will still have the same priceless impact on Black women storytellers worldwide. To donate, please visit amplifyatx.org/organizations/torch-literary-arts . For more details about Amplify Austin, visit amplifyatx.org . About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts (Torch) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. Help TORCH continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. About Amplify Austin Day I Live Here I Give Here’s signature program, Amplify Austin Day, is the biggest day of giving in Central Texas, raising $112.7 million for the local community since 2013. During a single 24-hour period, from 6 p.m. March 5 to 6 p.m. March 6, residents across a seven-county region will come together to support more than 700 nonprofits by making a donation through the platform AmplifyATX.org . About I Live Here I Give Here I Live Here I Give Here connects individual donors and volunteers with local causes they care about. As a nonprofit, they offer community-wide events and year-round specialty programming for businesses, individuals and the broader nonprofit community to make giving possible for everyone. For more information, visit ILiveHereIGiveHere.org . Previous Next

< Back Torch Announces 2026 Dates for 20th Anniversary Celebration Aug 20, 2025 “A Gathering of Flames” will take place in Austin, Texas, from September 25 to 27, 2026, celebrating Black women writers and 20 years of Torch’s growing community. AUSTIN, Tex., Aug. 20, 2024 – Torch Literary Arts is announcing their 20th Anniversary celebration, “A Gathering of Flames,” occurring September 25-27, 2026, at the Austin Central Branch Library Special Event Center to celebrate Torch’s 20-year legacy of supporting and creating community for Black women writers across the diaspora. For three days, Black women writers and supporters from around the world will convene in Austin to attend the inaugural Torch Awards Gala, an all-day conference, and Collective Brunch. This momentous weekend will include readings by notable authors, guest speakers, writing workshops, networking opportunities, and more. “Bringing a literary celebration for Black women writers from around the world to Austin has always been a part of Torch's vision,” said executive director Amanda Johnston. “It is a testament to the community Torch is building around the world, and I cannot wait to see our community come together in celebration of literary arts in our hometown next year.” Torch started in 2006 when Amanda Johnston realized she was constantly traveling out of state to propel her career as a poet due to the minimal opportunities in Central Texas for writers of color. What started as a literary magazine and grassroots community transformed into a Black-led and serving nonprofit. Torch’s mission is to promote the work of Black women by publishing contemporary creative writing by emerging and experienced writers, to archive contributors' literary work for posterity and educational purposes, and to provide resources and opportunities for the advancement of Black women through literary arts. Torch has grown to support thousands of Black women on their literary journeys, pays professional rates for featured authors, has received the Pushcart Prize and the inaugural Association of Writers and Writing Programs’ Writing Organization Award, has hosted 22 Torch Retreat Fellows in Austin, and has produced free workshops and events that amplify diverse voices across the literary landscape. To find out more information and save the date for the 20th Anniversary, please visit torchliteraryarts.org/agatheringofflames2026 . To donate to Torch and help fuel our mission, please visit https://www.torchliteraryarts.org/donate . ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Celebrating National Poetry Month with an Ode to Poets Brittany Heckard Apr 5, 2024 Every April, Torch is elated to celebrate the Black women who put words to feelings by celebrating National Poetry Month April is a month of renewal and rebirth — with showers watering what springs in May. It’s also National Poetry Month — a time to celebrate those who can turn feelings into words that cause us to reflect. This month, Torch is celebrating National Poetry Month by pouring into our community. Just like the April showers, we know that watering others with resources and support brings the growth and representation that marginalized voices need to thrive. We’re starting off celebrating National Poetry Month by highlighting our April Feature, Yona Harvey. Yona Harvey is an acclaimed poet and professor. Winner of the 2014 Kate Tufts Discovery Award, her poetry collections include Hemming the Water and You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love. She is also an author of Marvel Comics' World of Wakanda , becoming one of the first two black women to write for Marvel. You can check out her poems and interview with our editor, Jae Nichelle, here . April is also very special for Torch because we are celebrating the fact that our own executive director, Amanda Johnston, is the 2024 Texas Poet Laureate. She is making Texas and poetry history as the first Black woman to be the state’s laureate. Torch celebrates her accomplishments all year, but especially this month. You can celebrate National Poetry Month with Torch and join us in watering our community by attending our events , sharing our work on social media, and donating to our organization . Check out a few of our events this Poetry Month: Events April 15th - Writing Circle April 24th - The Salon Torch Magazine Read our April 2024 Feature, Yona Harvey Read the poetry Friday Features by Isha Camara and Lor Clincy ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Torch Executive Director and Features Named as Brooks Living Legacy Honorees Brittany Heckard Nov 15, 2024 20 Torch community members were named Living Legacy Honorees The Brooks Living Legacy recently announced their list of Living Legacy Honorees, a global celebration of Black Female Poets in the tradition of Gwendolyn Brooks. Torch is elated to announce that out of the 50 poets named, 19 have been featured in Torch Magazine and/or readings and special events. The Living Legacy Project is part of the 75th Anniversary celebration of Annie Allen , Gwendolyn Brooks’s Pulitzer Prize winning work. The list is composed of Black female poets who are making an impact in the literary community. Honorees include: Amanda Johnston - Torch Founder / Executive Director Sequoia Maner - Torch Board Chair Elizabeth Alexander Tara Betts Mahogany L. Browne Isha Camara Ajanaé Dawkins Toi Derricotte Latasha N. Nevada Diggs Kelly Norman Ellis Vievee Francis Krista Franklin Faylita Hicks Toni Asante Lightfoot Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton Evie Shockley Patricia Smith Ebony Stewart Natasha Trethewey Crystal Wilkinson To learn more about Brooks Permissions and to see the full list of Living Legacies Honorees, click here . ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts (TORCH) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today. About Brooks Permissions Brooks Permissions, founded in 2001, manages the literary works of acclaimed poet Gwendolyn Brooks. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Austin Film Society Joins Torch Literary Arts as New Community Partners Feb 5, 2026 The two organizations will amplify a series of film screenings showcasing Black women screenwriters, directors, and films that reflect Black culture. Austin Film Society (AFS) and Torch Literary Arts (Torch) are partnering to amplify diversity in film at AFS Cinema. These film screenings will be mission-aligned with both organizations and start this month with screenings of Daughters of the Dust and Compensation . Daughters of the Dust (1991), written and directed by Julie Dash, is an intergenerational film about three Gullah women and their lives in the South Carolina islands in 1902. The film won Best Cinematography at Sundance in 1991, Grand Jury Prize Nominee at Sundance in 1991, and was featured at many film festivals, including Mill Valley, BFI London, New Orleans, and Chicago. The first screening is on February 17th. You can purchase tickets for a screening here . Compensation (1999), directed by Zeinabu irene Davis, is a film highlighting the lives of two deaf women living almost a century apart from each other, one living in 1900 and the other in 1990. The film will have ASL interpretation. The film won the Gordon Parks Directing Award from the Independent Feature Project. The first screening is on February 24th. You can purchase tickets for a screening here . “This partnership highlights screenwriters and filmmakers we love to support,” said Amanda Johnston, founder and executive director of Torch Literary Arts. “Producing events that amplify voices of Black women while also enjoying their work on screen is the type of intentional community building we strive for.” AFS and Torch are just steps away from each other at The LINC in the historic St. Johns area, allowing a collaborative partnership that is accessible and convenient for attendees. The partnership highlights the need for representation of Black women writers in cinema and an in-depth look at powerful stories that resonate with any audience. If you are a Torch Feature, Fellow, or CIM Member, please email us for a discount code for these two screenings before you purchase your ticket. You can learn more about Austin Film Society by visiting their website at austinfilmsociety.org . ### About Torch Literary Arts Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch Magazine has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats. About Austin Film Society Founded in 1985 by filmmaker Richard Linklater, AFS creates life-changing opportunities for filmmakers, catalyzes Austin and Texas as a creative hub, and brings the community together around great film. AFS supports filmmakers towards career leaps, encouraging exceptional artistic projects with grants and support services. AFS operates Austin Studios, a 20-acre production facility, to attract and grow the creative media ecosystem. Austin Public, a space for our city’s diverse mediamakers to train and collaborate, provides many points of access to filmmaking and film careers. The AFS Cinema is an ambitiously programmed repertory and first run arthouse with broad community engagement. By hosting premieres, local and international industry events, and the Texas Film Awards, AFS shines the national spotlight on Texas filmmakers while connecting Austin and Texas to the wider film community. AFS is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Media Contact Information: Brittany Heckard Communications Associate bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org (512) 641-9251 Previous Next

< Back Hallie S. Hobson Advisory Board Member Hallie S. Hobson contributes to the vitality and health of philanthropic and nonprofit institutions by developing and implementing innovative planning, fundraising, and patron engagement strategies including: philanthropic strategy development and implementation; capital campaign and strategic planning; individual giving program design; major gift pipeline development; department buildout and optimization-staffing and systems; chief development officer coaching; board development. Clients include Art Basel, Cave Canem Foundation, Destination Crenshaw, The Ford Foundation, The Friends of the High Line, Junebug Productions, The Laundromat Project, the New York Community Trust, and NPower. Prior to launching her consultancy, Hallie served as the Director of Institutional Advancement for the Studio Museum in Harlem and led that organization’s Capital Campaign. Prior to that she was at The Metropolitan Museum of Art where she served as Deputy Chief Development Officer for Individual Giving and the Senior Development Officer at The Museum of Modern Art. She has also held roles at several other cultural institutions including the New York Foundation for the Arts and The House Foundation for the Arts/Meredith Monk and has lectured about her profession at New York University, the Yale World Fellows Program, and Sotheby's Institute of Art. In addition, Hallie is an accomplished poet and playwright. She holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from UCLA and a B.A. in African-American and Theater Studies from Yale University.

Torch's annual retreat for Black women writers with works-in-progress across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and script. Fellows enjoy a week-long stay at the Colton House Hotel in Austin, TX where they can write, rest, and dream. 2027 Torch Retreat July 18 - 25, Austin, TX Torch Literary Arts is proud to provide our annual creative writing retreat. We welcome applications from Black women writers with major works-in-progress across poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction (memoir or lyric essays), and script (plays or screenplays). The Torch Retreat will return in 2027. We invite everyone to A Gathering of Flames: Celebrating 20 Years of Torch Literary Arts on September 25-27, 2026. Applications Are Closed Amplifying Black Women Writers Since 2006 Dedicated Writing Time Fellows receive plenty of time for dedicated writing devoted to their works-in-progress. We gently support you in your writing goals for the week by providing group check-ins and the opportunity to share your progress in a nurturing environment. Comfortable Accommodations Your comfort matters. The Colton House Hotel was carefully selected as the property for the Torch retreat to provide fellows with a plush environment where they may dream and write freely. Financial Support There is no fee to apply or attend the retreat. Each fellow will receive a $1,000 stipend to assist with travel, supplies, childcare, or anything else that helps make it possible for fellows to attend regardless of financial ability. Your Stay in Austin, TX Retreat fellows will stay at the beautiful Colton House Hotel . Accommodations include a private bedroom and bathroom in a two-bedroom suite with a shared living room and full kitchen. During your week-long retreat, you will receive dedicated writing time, breakfast and lunch provided, and ample time during the afternoons and evenings to rest, recharge, enjoy the hotel amenities, or explore the city. The retreat will also include guest speakers and a public reading by fellows at the end of the week. View photos from past retreats here . 2025 Torch Retreat Fellows 2024 Torch Retreat Fellows 2023 Torch Retreat Fellows